From London to lower north shore: Meet Mark Jackson, the agent who started a new life at age 33

A small act of chivalry at a bar in London led to unexpected adventures for Mark Jackson.

Now married with two children and an Australian citizenship to his name, the principal of Belle Property Neutral Bay relishes his work, and says a stint running a dating site also taught him a lot.

Not to make assumptions but you don’t sound like you grew up on the lower north shore …

I’m from London. I was running two real estate offices in Putney. My girlfriend at the time, Louise, was a psychologist specialising in human error.

After the 2003 Waterfall train crash in Sydney, she was headhunted to assist with the investigation.

Was that a tough decision, dropping everything to follow her?

I was 33 and I was at that point where I was trying to build a career. The company I worked for held my position open as I thought we’d be here for about a year.

We arrived in November 2004 and after about a year, we decided to stay. We got married and had kids here.

How does selling homes in Sydney compare to London?

In London, it’s such a long, complicated process. Here, it’s faster and simpler.

I started working for Belle’s Mosman office with Tim Foote in 2006. Matthew Smythe and I now run the Neutral Bay partnership.

What’s this I hear about you setting up an online dating business?

I was amazed at how some of my colleagues in the UK liked to set up their friends for dates. I thought someone should invent a dating site where people’s friends could put them online and write their profiles.

On a trip back to the UK, Louise heard about a site called My Single Friend. We thought we should try it here. We arranged the domain name, developed the branding and brought in some investors.

After the launch, it grew quite quickly but to keep it in the public eye and really grow it, you need millions, so we sold it. It was a good learning experience and a great business challenge.

So how did you meet Louise?

In a bar in Putney. You know when one person goes to get the barman’s attention and there’s another person waiting and you ask, “Was I in front of you?” It really was my turn but I said, “You go.”

We started chatting and we got on well. We bumped into each other again later and swapped numbers. It went from there.

Does she sometimes psychoanalyse you?

If she’s using her magic powers on me, I’m not aware of it. However we talk a lot about what I do.

She’s sometimes quite amazed at the psychology that’s involved in being a real estate agent. You’re dealing with a lot of people trying not to show their hands. You’re trying to analyse them and work out what they’re thinking.

What has this job taught you about people?

You’ve got to become detached from the outcome. I think a lot of agents get so attached to the outcome that it affects how they negotiate. They’re desperate to get the deal done.

I want to get the deal done, obviously, but I try to detach myself from the outcome.

How do you unwind?

I’m 50 this year. I used to do a fair bit of running and playing sport but my knees and hips aren’t what they used to be.

I love nothing more than having a relaxing time with my family. My daughter, Emilia, is 10 and Oscar is seven.

I finish work early on Tuesdays to take them swimming.